Party on the Plaza

Party on the Plaza returns to downtown Houston with free concerts in a new location

Next week, Party on the Plaza returns for the second time around. The free concert series kicks off May 3 at Avenida Houston Plaza with a performance by Los Skarnales and will continue with different entertainment acts every Wednesday night in May and June. (UPDATE: The first Party on the Plaza has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 4, due to inclement weather.)

During the late '80s until around 2005, the popular after-work affair was held at Jones Plaza in the Theater District, providing downtown office workers a place to let down their hair at the end of a long day. It is being revived to showcase the new Avenida Houston as a "true entertainment destination," Dawn Ullrich, president and CEO of Houston First Corporation, said in a press release.

Houston First officials have been instrumental in the development of Avenida Houston near Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center, which now includes a number of new restaurants and bars, including Xochi and Biggio's at the Marriott Marquis hotel, and a new Grotto adjacent to the convention center, plus a pedestrian area with art installations and events.

DJ spins (5:30 pm) will get the party started, with the highlight of the evening, performances by an eclectic lineup of local and regional artists (7-9 pm), sealing the dance party deal. Mark your calendars now for the headliners below.

May 4: Los Skarnales with Muddy Belle
Dance the night way to the sounds of 20-year Texas music scene veterans Los Skarnales, who present a unique fusion of ska, cumbia, and reggae with a twist of punk. Also hitting the stage is Houston rock n' soul band, Muddy Belle.

May 10: Allen Oldies with Rudy and the Reckless
Expect a hit parade of '50s and '60s songs from The Allen Oldies Band, who have been performing since 1996, followed by smooth, fiddle-driven rock tunes by Ruby and the Reckless.

May 17: Mango Punch with Gio Chamba
Gyrate to high-energy dance music, in both English and Spanish, by Latin pop band Mango Punch. Keep on grooving as tropical fusion duo Gio Chamba takes to the stage directly after, with songs from latin cumbia to hip-hop and electronica.

May 24: SoulDig with Sherita Perez
SoulDig’s deep soulful grooves meet music by Gulf Coast indie-folk singer/songwriter Sherita Perez when the two headline Party on the Plaza at the end of May.

May 31: Nick Gaitan with Nico Diaz
Nick Gaitan and the Umbrella Man band take center stage, presenting a mix of swamp-pop, Tex-Mex, soul, straight-up country, swing and rock 'n' roll, while follow-up act Nico Diaz promises jazzy Latin rock influenced by Latin folk and Nova Trova (Cuban music).

June 7: Ishi with Romina Von Mohr
Soul, funk and house beats by electronic band Ishi guarantee a fun night, especially with Romina Von Mohr and her rhythmic tunes, featuring catchy, wandering melodies, also on the bill.

June 14: Say Girl Say with El Lago
Multi-instrumental female duo Say Girl Say are known for intertwining, haunting harmonies that break your heart while leaving you wanting for more. They're joined on the roster by Galveston band El Lago, who add a dream-pop, post-punk, shoegaze, and '80s alternative spin to the evening.

June 21: Brownout with Vodi
Hardcore grooves and breakbeats by nine-piece psychedelic Latin-funk collective Brownout, along with effortless hooks and nostalgic sounds by six-piece indie rock band Vodi, are sure to get you into a groovy state of mind.

June 28: Fat Tony with Young Mammals
Nigerian-American rapper Fat Tony brings his laid-back, lyrical swagger to Party on the Plaza. The Young Mammals offer a distinct combination of blustery power-pop and hushed art punk with drawn-out guitar riffs.

Party on the Plaza is a free event. For more details, click here.

Free concert series "Party on the Plaza" kicks off May 3 at Avenida Houston Plaza.

Wings over Water sculpture in front of George R. Brown Convention Center

Photo by Micahl Wycoff

Free concert series "Party on the Plaza" kicks off May 3 at Avenida Houston Plaza.

concerts

Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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